best thing
by tatty ted
Summary: AU. He's engaged with a baby on the way and he stills thinks of her, the damsel. - —Ash/Rita, oneshot.


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**best thing**  
><em>i will always need you<em>

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><p><strong><em>i<em>. _number one_**

Rita's sat at the bar alone, swirling her straw in a glass of lemonade and vodka. Ash is sat on the other side of the bar watching from a distance. They're both drunk, well Rita's past the point of return and Ash isn't very far behind.

She's lost in thought watching the world pass by, he's wondering why a pretty woman like Rita drinks herself into oblivion (but this is Ash and Ash has always had a thing for damsels in distress) She stands up and drops the contents of her handbag over the floor.

He goes over and helps, she apologises over and over again whilst trying to cram everything back in her handbag. He sees her in a different light up close, sees all the things about her he hadn't noticed before. How slightly chapped her lips are, the faded mascara on her eyes, how red her cheeks look under the lights.

They stare. They keep staring at each other.

She bits her lower lip invitingly and he leans in.

"There you are Rita, I've been looking for you for ages!" Her friend smiles at the man, thanks him for looking after her and leaves with Rita stumbling behind. She glances back at the man, smiles softly and wonders if its possible to love a man she's never met.

/

_**ii. number two.**_

It's roughly two weeks later they meet again. Both are drunk, alone at the bar. She's swirling a straw around her vodka and lemonade having been separated from her friends (again) He feels braver now he knows her name, he feels he can approach her so he does.

They just sit there, not communicating but drinking.

"It's Rita isn't it?"

She nods and asks what his name is. He tells her and it breaks the ice between the two. She knows his name, he knows hers. He buys her a drink, a vodka and lemonade and a shot. She returns the favour and the night passes like that, (one drink, one shot, one drink, one shot)

It happens again. They stare, they keep staring.

She bites her lower lip nervously whilst her stomach's flipping knowing she's been here before and been interrupted. He leans in and then there's the ringing of someone's phone. Ash apologises, explains he's got to take the call and leaves.

She doesn't see him for the rest of the night.

/

**_iii. number three._**

Five weeks since their first meeting, they're at the same bar with the same friends drinking the same alcoholic drinks. He takes her hand and asks for her to dance. Rita accepts and Ash thinks this is it, maybe tonight is the night he kisses the girl.

He doesn't quite get as far as kissing the girl when someone punches him in the face.

"I'm really sorry," she whispers as she strokes his cheek before a lad takes her by the arm and roughly drags her away.

At home he nurses a broken heart and a broken nose wondering if he'll ever see the damsel again.

/

_**iv. number four.**_

Six months later, he finds himself back in that bar. He hasn't been since that night he received a broken nose, if it was meant to be he'd find a way to be with that girl, that damsel. He walks towards the bar and finds himself drawn to a familiar face, Rita swirling a straw in her alcoholic drink.

Ash isn't sure if he wants to approach her, look at the trouble he got himself into last time he did.

He leaves it for now.

She's still sat there an hour later, still sipping the same drink with the multi-coloured straw. He's had a couple of vodka's and coke, his confidence souring (not that he wasn't confident in his abilities to pull a woman)

He approaches her with the original chat up line, "can I buy you a drink?"

She accepts and they get to know each other over a drink, (or several) She apologises about their last meeting when his nose was broken but he tells her not to be ridiculous, it wasn't her fault. (it was a little, she was dirty dancing when she was in a relationship)

He brushes his fingers along hers, "I think you're really beautiful."

Rita giggles nervously then there's nothing between them. No communication, just holding hands and drinking.

"Will you come back to mine?"

She agrees but insists that she has to go to the bathroom to "powder her nose" He waits and waits until he realises she's isn't coming back. He finishes his drink and leaves, Rita comes out of the bathroom five minutes later and wonders where he's gone.

/

_**v. number five.**_

It's been a year since their first meeting in that nightclub in the centre of town. They've only ever met a handful of times between then over the months. He's engaged to a woman named Laura, expecting a baby but he doesn't stop thinking about her, the damsel.

After their last meeting he gave up hope of ever kissing her and attempted to move on. It worked because he met Laura at the bar of the same club and fell in love with her though he sometimes wishes Laura was Rita and he could kiss her, just once.

He's in the staff room at work when a blonde walks in. He blinks several times because he swears its Rita but how can it be possible?

"Rita?" She hears a familiar voice call her name and slowly turns around. Her eyes fall upon Ash and she's lost in thought about him and their previous encounters. She smiles, she says hi and congratulations, she's heard he's engaged and about to become a father.

He feels like saying he wishes it was her he was marrying but he can't so instead he just smiles.

/

_**vi. number six.**_

"Do you still drink vodka and lemonade?"

"Yes," she laughs, "I still have terrible choice in men too."

"Do you, I hadn't noticed."

They're at the bar, a bar in town. The one they met at is no longer there, its demolished and been made into flats. This bar isn't their bar but it'll do, the vodka and lemonade's are nice and its friendly enough.

She still has that little mannerism about her, the habit of swirling her straw in her drink. He finds its sweet to watch especially the way she bites the corner of her lip as she's doing it. Ash strokes his fingers along her hand as she giggles nervously.

"We shouldn't do this, you're engaged."

He doesn't verbally respond instead he catches her off-guard and presses his lips against hers. Rita gasps as his lips crash upon hers and in her head she knows its all wrong but she still kisses him back because it feels natural, the right thing to do.

Breaking apart he whispers in her ear, "I love you, I always have loved you."

She bites the corner of her lower lip, fingers entwined in his and whispers back, "I love you too."

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><p><strong>jottings<strong> / if you like it enough to favourite, please leave a review:3


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